Great Ming Military

UPDATED MAY 5, 2022 One of the major hurdles that prevented matchlock guns from being adopted on a large scale in North China was the comp...

UPDATED MARCH 30, 2022 Zhen Die Chong (震疊銃, lit. 'Terror gun') Drawing of a Zhen Die Chong, from 'Shen Qi Pu (《神器譜》)'....

UPDATED JULY 04, 2022, minor update March 6, 2026 Firelock guns—such as the wheellock, snaphaunce, miquelet l...

UPDATED JANUARY 7, 2022, minor update MAY 14, 2023 One of the major weaknesses of early black powder firearms was the abysmal firing rate. C...

UPDATED MAY 4, 2022, minor update NOVEMBER 10, 2023 A Ming Dynasty matchlock arquebus found in Xuzhou.